Public Statements

Letter to Secretary Napolitano - Stop Border Crossing Tax

Letter

U.S. Representative Richard Hanna this week sponsored bipartisan legislation to stop the creation of a crossing fee on pedestrians and passenger vehicles at American land borders.

Last month, the Obama Administration in its Fiscal Year 2014 budget request sought legislation to study the feasibility of charging admission for travelers coming into the United States at land crossings on our borders with Canada and Mexico. Through this legislation, H.R. 1886, the "Promoting Border Commerce and Travel Act," Rep. Hanna seeks to halt any fee before it could be implemented.

"Canada is a part of our daily life in Upstate New York as people cross the border for purposes of work, tourism and shopping," Rep. Hanna said. "Taxing pedestrians and passengers at our border in New York would bring adverse economic impacts to Upstate communities and would go against efforts to collaborate with our biggest trading partner. I will work on as many fronts as possible to stop this bad idea."

In a related action, Rep. Hanna recently joined a bipartisan group of 18 House Members who expressed their disapproval in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano in hopes that the Administration rejects the proposal.

In the letter, they stated, "The imposition of such a toll would act as a barrier to the greater economic integration that we seek, and is the absolute last thing we should be doing to grow our economy. It would be a waste of government resources to even study the flawed idea."

We write to convey our strong opposition to a proposal in the Department of Homeland Security's Fiscal Year 2014 budget request, to study whether fees should be assessed on passengers and pedestrians at land border crossings.

This proposal would harm our border communities that depend on cross border travel and commerce. We urge you to reject it.

The economic integration of the United States and Canada and the facilitation of ease of access between the two countries should be a high priority for our federal government. Canada is our largest trading partner and the economic impact of Canadians on northern border communities -- and the benefit that Americans receive from traveling to Canada -- is significant. These economic and social traditions have solidified over centuries and should be promoted, not hindered. The future shared prosperity of communities on both sides of the border depends on it.

Further, such a fee would abrogate the spirit of the recent "Beyond the Border" agreement between the United States and Canada, a historic accord to facilitate cross border commerce on the Northern Border.

Given this, we were shocked to see that the Fiscal Year 2014 budget request proposed a study for a new toll on all passengers and pedestrians crossing the border from Canada into the United States. The imposition of such a toll would act as a barrier to the greater economic integration that we seek, and is the absolute last thing we should be doing to grow our economy. It would be a waste of government resources to even study the flawed idea.

Some have suggested that the toll could be used to offset the cost of increased security measures necessary to remain vigilant in a dangerous world. However homeland security and border protection are national priorities that benefit the entire country. Their cost should not be disproportionately borne by our communities, which should not be singled out and asked to do so.

We will actively oppose new fees for land border crossings and we urge you to reconsider this misguided proposal. At a time when we are looking to increase economic activity at our Northern Border, we should not be proposing policies that would do the reverse.